Willow Trees and Sakura Blossoms
by Runi-chan
Summary: Izayoi runs from Setsuna Takemaru's burning castle,newborn Inuyasha held close.She escapes,and finds a home away from the castle,where she can raise her son.From his birth to her death,she stands up until she can fight no more.Rated f.violence and languag
1. Shikatsu

You know...seeing '_Shiori's Family and InuYasha's feelings'_ finally got me motivated to write this fic; it's about Inuyasha's earliest years, and what he and his mother, Izayoi, had to go through. Now, at the time of this writing, that's as far into the series as I have scene, so if this was covered later in the series...oh well. I have, however, found a website with a summary of the third movie, _Tenka Hadou No Ken_, so I at least have an idea of what goes on in the very begining. Oh yes...and i don't own _InuYasha. _Otherwise, enjoy the first chapter of **_'Willow Trees and Sakura Blossoms'  
  
_Willow Trees and Sakura Blossoms  
  
Rated: R for violence and language, and on a few occasions, abuse.  
  
Summary:** Izayoi runs from Setsuna Takemaru's burning castle, newborn Inuyasha held close. She escapes, and finds a home away from the castle, where she can raise her son. But men can be as cruel as youkai, even to their own, even to a woman. From Inuyasha's birth to her death, incidents of violence come and go, until finally; she can fight no more.  
**  
Chapter One: **_Shikatsu-_ Life...and Death

_

* * *

"A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on" -Carl Sandburg

* * *

_

It was a cool night when she ran from that burning castle, child held tight. A wave of heat blew over her, blowing back the covering on her head. She turned, watching in horror as the castle burned behind her, knowing that he was still trapped inside.  
  
_"Take Inuyasha and get out of here, Izayoi!"  
  
"Inu...yasha?"  
  
"The child! The child's name is Inuyasha!"  
  
A rafter came crashing down behind him.  
  
"But..."  
  
"RUN!"  
  
_Tears threatened her eyes; he wasn't going to make it out of the ruins alive. Her heart told her that. Izayoi dropped to her knees, still clutching the child tight.  
  
"No!!!" she screamed, watching Setsuna Takemaru's castle burn. A mournful howl passed up from within the flames. The Inu no Taisho was no more.  
  
The child began wailing, squirming in the swaddling clothes. Izayoi comforted him, and turned and ran, away from the flames, and the memories.  
  
The sun lifted from the horizon slowly, bright rays of firey hues shining down on the earth. Izayoi halted; she could run no more. Her legs fell underneath her, and she sank into the shallow pool of water.  
  
She looked down; the infant was restless. The woman managed a small smile.  
  
"You look like him" she sighed, lifting the baby gently so that he could feed. He suckled softly and contently. Izayoi sighed and felt at peace for the first time in a great deal of time. She closed her eyes.  
  
"Oi! Who's there?"  
  
The new mother looked up, seeing someone coming in the distance. Hurriedly, she pulled the red blanket closer over Inuyasha's head to hide his ears. Her legs nearly gave as she tried to stand. The stranger; a woman probably not five years older than her, steadied her. A worried look held her face, epecially when she saw the bundle in her arms.  
  
"Oh dear...you must've just given birth..Here, come to my house; I'll help you.."  
  
Izayoi smiled softly in acknowledgement and leaned on the woman as they made their way to the nearby hut. The woman handed Izayoi a small cup of water.  
  
"Here"  
  
"Much thanks..."  
  
Izayoi drank. 

"It seems from your dress that you are from nobility"  
  
"Of sorts, yes." Izayoi set down the cup and sighed, hugging her child closer.  
  
"How so?"  
  
Izayoi bit at her bottom lip trying to think of an answer.  
  
"Setsuna Takemaru. I was bethrothed to him"  
  
"Setsuna Takemaru?" The woman's eyes went wide, "he?"  
  
"Aye"  
  
"The child is his?"  
  
Izayoi instinctively pulled the child closer, and did not respond. The woman asked no more.  
  
"Later, I will fetch the leader of our village; he will give you shelter befitting your status, miss..." there was a note of suspicion in her voice.  
  
"Izayoi" the new mother responded.  
  
"Izayoi, then."  
  
The peasant woman did not lie; the leader indeed came, eating a meager dinner with them. His gaze turned to Izayoi.  
  
"I hear tell that you are nobility; bethrothed to Takemaru-sama. Why have you come here after birth?"  
  
"There was a fire, set by some young fool," she lied, casting her eyes downward, "had I not run, I would have died"  
  
"And the child?"  
  
"What about him?" Izayoi had never let the child go, not once yet. Her voice hardened.  
  
"Be calm; I only wish to know if it is healthy and breathing."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Very well," the village leader stood and helped Izayoi to her feet, "we have accomadations for you, close to the river."  
  
"Arigato"  
  
"When we arrive, the priest shall see if your child is well."  
Izayoi tensed, but hid that fact.  
  
"As you wish"  
  
It was a modest sized, three roomed flat; one for entertaining visitors, one for sleeping, and one for whatever use the owner wished, within law, of course. Izayoi sat down on one of the cushions, smiling in that soft way of her's. She was left alone with her child to wait for the priest.  
  
"Inuyasha...," she whispered, "oh, what will they do when they find out?" A tear snaked its way down her face, and she dried it quickly, hearing the tamp of footfalls on the small porch.  
  
The priest was a gentle looking man in his late fifties. A thousand laughs were etched into his face, along with a thousand tears for the grief he'd borne, burying the dead.  
  
"Izayoi-sama, hello"  
  
"Hello" her voice was barely a whisper.  
  
"I see you have a child; swaddled yes...very wise. Is it your first?"  
  
"Yes, he is"  
  
The old man smiled.  
  
"Unwrap him; I need to see how fit he is. Buddha knows what would happen if I had to bury another child.." his voice trailed. Izayoi cautiously set Inuyasha down.  
  
"Obousan, I must ask of you...do not think ill of me"  
  
"Dear woman," the old man's eyes twinkled, "I would do no such thing." He took Inuyasha into his arms and gently undid the red and white cloth, setting down the naked infant on it.  
  
"A demon child..." he murmured, drawing an ofuda from his robes.  
  
"No!" Izayoi cried, "don't! It's my son...please don't kill him" she knelt over, head to the ground, crying.  
  
"Are you human, then?" the monk asked, keeping his voice quiet enough so that the leader of the village would not hear him; not yet, anyhow.  
  
"Yes...I beg of you, Obousan, spare him...he will cause no trouble."  
  
"I see"  
  
The priest stood after swaddling the infant once more.  
  
"Very well then. If he holds to that vow, Izayoi-sama," he spoke, handing her her child back.  
  
"Arigato!" she gasped, holding her child close.  
  
The holy man slid the door closed behind him and slipped his zori back on. He descended the steps and stood before the leader of the village.  
  
"It is a half-demon child, Hitoritenka-sama."  
  
"I see.." Hitoritenka folded his arms, "she shall be allowed to stay. I bear no ill will against her. She has done nothing to earn such"  
  
"And if that should change? If the child grows angry at humans and attacks? "  
  
Hitoritenka laughed quietly.  
  
"If so, I will have them slain. It is as simple as that, Horyuu."  
  
The priest shifted uneasily.  
  
"My name, dear boy, is Ryuujou. Being the leader does not mean you. While it may grant you power to punish your subjects as you wish...I would warn you against it. Those actions to not bode well"  
  
"You're a babbling old man, Horyuu. I did not ask for your counsel."  
  
"Aye, that you didn't."  
  
The priest and leader left.

* * *

_Glossary of Terms:  
  
_Inu no Taisho- Lord of Dogs...since Inuyasha's father has not been given a name by Takahashi-san yet.  
  
Obousan- Buddhist priest  
  
Hitoritenka- undisputed leader. Here, it's just his name.  
  
Horyuu-purple willow/infirmity/delicate constitution. Not really the priest's name; Hitoritenka is insulting him.  
  
Ryuujou- willow twig. The priest's real name.  
  
-sama: means Lord or lady...I believe.  
  
That's the first chapter? Do you like? Do you not? Either way, review, onegai?


	2. Iji no Suimei

Even though this story has no reviews yet...I'm updating. This is a fic I'm inspired to write..and I feel like I need to write it. So enjoy as best as you wish to. Oh yes...Sesshoumaru will show up in this story...but just once; in this chapter or the next. I have a feeling it'll be the next. I'm trying real hard to make it the next one.  
  
This chapter deals with Izayoi's memories of Inu no Taisho; and later chapters will flash back to moments in the romance between the two. And yes..Sesshoumaru will comment on the romance; perhaps in his own thinking chapter. To make it clear: Inu no Taisho was never given a name, thusfar, in the seires. I'm going with the one he was going to have in Movie 3...if I can bloody _find _it!  
  
I don't know how old Izayoi was(though I'm certain she was fairly young); I don't know how old Setsuna Takemaru was. I'm taking the liberty of making him older; and making Izayoi a bit fiesty.  
  
**Willow Trees and Sakura Blossoms  
  
Rated: R for violence and language, and on a few occasions, abuse.  
  
Standard Disclaimer Applies  
  
Summary:** Izayoi runs from Setsuna Takemaru's burning castle, newborn Inuyasha held close. She escapes, and finds a home away from the castle, where she can raise her son. But men can be as cruel as youkai, even to their own, even to a woman. From Inuyasha's birth to her death, incidents of violence come and go, until finally; she can fight no more.  
  
**Chapter Two: Iji no Suimei** (Memories of Light Shimmering On Water)  
  
_"Love is much like a wild rose, beautiful and calm, but willing to draw blood in its defense". Mark Overby_

* * *

It was amazing, Izayoi thought.  
  
Amazing that she lived; that Inuyasha lived.  
  
Amazing that he began walking at such a young age; only eight months old.  
  
She hardly let him wander beyond her sight; the hositility of humans was one thing she knew well.  
  
"When did it first happen?" she thought, watching the eighteen month old hanyou play with a ball, a smile across his face.  
  
"When did I first fall in love?"  
  
--  
  
It was a dark night; save for the full moon overhead. Izayoi knew she shouldn't have been out so late; but the beauty of that silver orb never failed to hold her in rapt attention.  
  
At any rate, it was an excuse to get away from the constant 'advice' from her family. Takemaru-sama was searching for a bride among the higher standing citizens, and Izayoi's family urged her to try.  
  
She could've cared less. After all, she was only seventeen. Takemaru-sama was nearing twenty-nine; Izayoi didn't want to be a part of any court, or any royalty. Life was more to her than status and rank; simple things made her happy, and that's all that she needed.  
  
A shadow flitted across the moon, catching Izayoi's attention. As she concentrated, she could see that the shadow was indeed large, and darting about the sky like a starling. It struck her as odd; especially when the shape plummeted toward her.  
  
She couldn't even bring herself to scream; only to move out of the way. Izayoi's eyes shut tight in fear and anticipation; what had fallen into the shallow water behind her?  
  
Gathering her courage, Izayoi slowly turned around, fighting ever fibre of her body that was telling her to run. Her eyes still didn't open until she turned completely towards the stranger.  
  
And gasped.  
  
Laying in the shallow water of the rice paddie, bleeding profusely. Long silver hair, pulled back in a high samurai tail was matted with the same blood. The stranger was completely still, making Izayoi believe the stranger was dead.  
  
"Oh Gods!" she exclaimed, running to the stranger's side. She knelt by his side, and reached a hand out to examine the wound across his chest.  
  
The stranger woke with a start, eyes glowing red and an inhuman hiss passing his lips. Izayoi shook in terror; she'd provoked a demon. But because of fear, she couldn't move.  
  
Neither did for a moment.  
  
The red faded from the stranger's eyes and his features settled into an expression of almost concern.  
  
"Did I...are you alright?"  
  
Izayoi nearly lost her breath. A kind demon? Yes, she had heard of them, but never had she believed...  
  
"Are you.."  
  
"I'm...I'm fine..." she stuttered, noticing the piercing gold eyes watching her. "Are..a-are you?"  
  
"Hm?" the stranger looked down, "oh that...," he grew silent.  
  
Izayoi stood, wringing the water from her kimono.  
  
"Daughter of a wealthy merchant, ne?"  
  
"Yes" Izayoi still didn't trust the demon; even her young years told her that it might be a trap.  
  
"You're uncomfortable" there was a note of accusation in his voice.  
  
"Of course I am!" Izayoi wanted to snap. But instead, she said nothing. And when she turned around, the man wasn't there.  
  
Not standing, at least. It seemed that pain had gripped him. He was on the ground. Izayoi rushed to his side once more.  
  
"You need help" she said curtly, as if some matronly instinct had taken over her fear. The stranger looked up in surprise; clearly this woman didn't know who he was. Even so...he wasn't about to tell her now.  
---  
  
Suppressed growl.  
  
Wince.  
  
Izayoi had managed to sneak in the bleeding stranger and was currently in the process of tending to the wounds. She was surprised at how deep they were.  
  
"How did he manage to survive?" she wondered, tying off the last of the bandages.  
  
"You should be fine."  
  
The stranger cocked an eyebrow.  
  
"You can go now." Izayoi gritted her teeth. She'd moved beyond fear. Now it was down to annoyance, even if just so slightly.  
  
The stranger smiled slightly and stood, pausing at the door of Izayoi's room.  
  
"We will meet again."  
  
Izayoi ignored that comment.  
  
The Inu no Taisho dissapeared into the night.  
  
_"This is the woman who has stolen the very breath from my lungs...and I can do nothing, nor do I want to,"_ he thought, _"nor do I want to"  
_---  
  
Izayoi called Inuyasha over; it was mid-noon, and time for lunch. The child toddled over and sat in his mother's lap. She smiled and reached past him for the rice. His small ears twitched, tickling the side of her face. She let soft laughter; like the ringing of small bells, sound for the first time in a great while. The child laughed too, and for once, there was joy in hearts that saw so little of it. 


	3. Kubarimono

Alrighty...still no reviews. Oh well, I don't really care. Actually, after this chapter the updates will probably become more sporadic, since i'll be working on the AU(my first!) "Killing Me Softly"....And I'm using the name Inu and Sesshou's father was suppose to be called in the third movie, even if it does sound a little weird, but not right now....so enjoy this chapter, full of fluffy fluff-ness. Sesshoumaru-sama makes his first cameo in the story...  
  
These two quotes have nothing to do with this chapter (more with something like what I have planned for _Killing Me Softly_) But...they're very good, nonetheless:  
_No matter how fast light travels it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it. ---Terry Pratchett  
  
You're only as sick as your secrets.--- Author Unknown_  
  
**Disclaimer: "No. If I owned this, i'd be happy...but I don't, so I become a civil fangirl"  
"Isn't that any oxymoron?"  
"...shut up."  
**  
**All quotes courtesy of The Quote Garden**  
  
**Chapter Three: ****Kubarimono (The Gift)**

* * *

_We cannot destroy kindred: our chains stretch a little sometimes, but they never break. -Marquise de Sévigné_

* * *

Sesshoumaru glanced down at the package in his hands, turning it over several times.  
  
_"When he turns two...you go and give his mother this. Sesshoumaru....I trust you not to injure either of them; they have done nothing to you"  
  
_The youkai sighed and continued forward, tucking the bundle back into the folds of his haori. He lifted a waterskin to his lips and took a drink; he'd be traveling for a few days now. And all for his half-brother...son of a woman that had weakened his father's will.  
  
A vauge feeling of disgust tugged at Sesshoumaru at the thought of the child; this half-breed was the heir? It would've been, had their father not died.  
  
_Their _father; it still felt odd to think he shared blood with that...that hanyou. That newborn.  
  
Wolves howled in the distance, and Sesshoumaru spared a glance behind him. He'd been pestered by low-class demons along the way; thankfully, Jaken had not come along. He rather hated the toad; but kept him around for something to release his anger on.  
  
His slender fingers wrapped around the hilt of Tensaiga. _This _was the sword left to him...the sword that brought life. He breathed deeply and released the sword; the village was just ahead.  
  
Sesshoumaru picked up faint tracings of the child's scent, mostly the mixed blood of human and taiyoukai. The elder son of the Inu no Taisho quietly tracked his way to the modest flat his half-brother and Izayoi shared. The dusk air was cool; fall was just starting. A time for new beginings...  
----  
  
Izayoi traced her fingers along the writing on the scrolls, myths of creation contained therein. A sound; the faint tapping of boots near the entryway. She rolled the scroll and set it back where she had gotten it, and lifted herself to her feet. She was not two steps towards the door when it slid open.  
  
Standing before her was what seemed to be a young man, perhaps in his early twenties. A cresent moon adorned his forehead, with two red stripes just above his cheekbones. He was dressed rather simply in a solidly colored kimono of dark blue, with sparse armour, and a rather odd looking- tail? Izayoi couldn't tell. He looked down at Izayoi with cold amber-gold eyes.  
  
"Izayoi?" the 'man' spoke.  
  
"N-nani? Who are you?"  
  
"Sesshoumaru, son of the Inu no Taisho, who was Lord of the Western Lands." he explained, flipping back a lock of silver-white hair.  
  
"Son of-" Izayoi's breath caught in her throat. The other son...did he come to avenge...  
  
"Onna, calm yourself. I am not here to harm any one"  
  
Sesshoumaru drew the bundle from his haori and tossed it before Izayoi. She looked up confused. Sesshoumaru sat down.  
  
"It's from him."  
  
Izayoi cautiously undid the wrappings, delicately unfolding them. She lifted the contents from the floor.  
  
"A haori...and hakama? But...why?"  
  
"My father wished for the saftey of your child; that is made from the fur of the fire rat"  
  
"The what?"  
  
Sesshoumaru did not respond, only refused to look at Izayoi. His eyes were focused outside, past the walls. A long silence passed.  
  
"He is four now" the youkai stated simply. Izayoi blinked and set down the dish of sake on the small table.  
  
"Yes...he's growing strong."  
  
Mentally, Sesshoumaru smirked.  
  
"_I waited; but it does not matter"  
  
_"Okaasan!!! Okaasan!"  
  
Izayoi looked up at hearing the whimpering cries of her son. Sesshoumaru, however, had heard them long before. He lifted the dish to his lips and took a sip.  
  
"Okaasan!" four year old Inuyasha burst in the door, stumbling over the entryway. His face was smudged with dirt; several brusies showed on his face. A trickle of blood snaked down his hand. One of his ears was slightly squashed, and cut. The hanyou whimpered and fell into his mother's arms. It wasn't hard to see what'd happened; the village children had taunted Inuyasha's mixed blood.  
  
"Mama! Oh Mama!" he cried. Izayoi drew her son close and cooed.  
  
"You'll be alright....shh...I'm here...."  
  
Sesshoumaru looked on, intrigued by this display of affection; youkai mothers acted in no such way. Youkai mothers were kind to their young, yes...but a day did come where the cub left home and did not return; it did not stay around for more than a decade.  
  
Inuyasha finally stopped his crying and drew away from his mother, sniffling. Izayoi stooped over slightly.  
  
"Perhaps you should stay home for a little while; until you're alright again."  
  
The little hanyou nodded, wiping away his tears. He turned around, actually looking at the stranger for the first time.  
  
Sesshoumaru returned the look, face an emotionless mask, as always. He heard a growl rising in Inuyasha's throat. A very puppy-ish, non-threatening growl, but an attempt all the same. The little hanyou slowly stepped forward slowly, as if he was going to pounce on his half-brother.  
  
The child halted in front of Sesshoumaru, and sniffed several times. A smile awkwardly came to the hanyou's face, and he pounced.  
  
"Onii-chan!" he squeeled and latched onto Sesshoumaru's arm. It took restraint for the older youkai not to blanche. Izayoi smiled.  
  
"It seems he harbours no ill will towards you, Sesshoumaru-sama"  
  
Said youkai pulled the child from his arm gently and set him on the floor, only to have the toddler jump up again and mercilessly cuddle his shoulder.  
  
It was an odd experience for Sesshoumaru; the unabashed showing of love. He didn't care for this half-demon child....the child that shared his blood, the blood of a true taiyoukai. He did not want to make it thought that he, Sesshoumaru, was weak.  
  
Still, he adjusted his arms and held the child. Inuyasha immediatly lunged for the white thing around Sesshoumaru's shoulder. The elder youkai flicked the pelt away and let the child relax. Inuyasha soon drifted off to sleep.  
  
Izayoi took the child from Sesshoumaru's arms and tended to the wounds before dressing him in the fire rat outfit. Sesshoumaru ate quietly from the food Izayoi had prepared, or, rather _insisted_ he eat. There was no spell or rule that would bind him to Izayoi for eating food she had prepared, so he pick and chose.  
  
Inuyasha's mother held out the child to Sesshoumaru again.  
  
"I must fetch water for tommorow morning; keep watch over him, onegai?"  
  
The demon lord did not reply, but took the sleeping child from Izayoi's arms.  
  
When Izayoi was gone, he drew the child close and breathed in the scent; the implacable smell of humans...the taiyoukai blood of his father, and underneath all of that, the clean, warm, smell of a newborn pup.  
  
Sesshoumaru pulled his head back and caressed the top of Inuyasha's head; the hair was soft to the touch. A bit darker than his own, but still that resounding silver his father had posessed. The elder youkai then gently touched one of Inuyasha's ears; a triangle of soft fur that twitched slightly at sounds every now and then.  
  
Curious, Sesshoumaru ran his thumb along the juncture of ears and head. The small child squirmed in his arms before a surprising sound rumbled in his little chest; a purr. Sesshoumaru smiled ever so slightly and continued the ear rub for a few more minutes.  
  
Izayoi soon returned, and Sesshoumaru was already at the door.  
  
"You're...leaving, Sesshoumaru-sama?"  
  
The youkai lord did not respond, only walked away. Izayoi hurried to the door.  
  
"Don't tell him"  
  
Izayoi was confused.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Do not tell Inuyasha who gave him those clothes; only say they are from my father."  
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama...why?"  
  
But the youkai had gone.

---


End file.
